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2 incredible soundtracks from Serge Gainsbourg – both of them from his best period of work! Cannabis is a tremendously funky set of tunes – and some real standout soundtrack material from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg! Serge is working here with some great help from Jean-Claude Vannier – the guiding force behind Melody Nelson – and Vannier brings some great grooves to the record, really going for those sexy riffs and breaks that make us love Gainsbourg's music so much! There's a bit of vocals, but the main focus is on the instrumentation – which shifts nicely from track to track, taking the themes in some very nice directions – all of them definitely up to the sexy standard of Serge. The score to Ce Sacre Grand Pere is included here as bonus work – and features tracks written by both Serge and Michel Colombier. The overall feel is more orchestral and traditionally soundtrack-styled, but there are a few really sly funky tracks that offer up Serge at his sexy best! The set's got 21 tracks in all, and titles include "Cannabis", "Jane Dans La Nuit", "Danger", "Avant De Mourir", "Cannabis-bis", "Piege", "I Want To Feel Crazy", "Le Deuxieme Homme", "Champetre Et Pop 1", "Nous Les Jericho", and "L'Herbe Tendre".

Proof that the genius of Art Blakey never falters! This obscure gem was recorded in the mid 80s – but rarely saw proper issue until the time of this CD – and it features Blakey leading a hip group of young lions with all the care and confidence of some of his best Jazz Messenger sides from earlier years. The style on the album's about halfway between Blakey's Blue Note and Prestige styles – with the hard-blown solos of the former, and the longer freer song structure of the latter – and players include Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Donald Harrison on alto, Jean Toussaint on tenor, and Mulgrew Miller on piano. Tracks are all long – and titles include "Fuller Love", "Dr Jeckyle", "81", and "One By One".

12 remixes: "No,No, No Part 2 (Wyclef Jean extended version)", "Emotion (Neptunes rmx)", "Bootylicious (Rockwilder rmx)", "Say My Name (Timbaland rmx)", "Bug A Boo (refugee Camp rmx)", "Dot (E-Poppi mix)", "Survivor (rmx feat. Da Brat)", "Independent Women Pt II", "Nasty Girl (Azza's nu soul mix)", "Jumpin Jumpin (rmx ext)", "Bills, Bills, Bills (Maurice's xclusive livegig mix)" and "So Good (Maurice's soul mix)".

Sweet funky, funky reggae from the deep vaults of Trojan – it's a non-stop jam with 20 hot numbers so get ready for the get down! Whether it's smokin' originals like Toots & the Maytals "Funky Kingston" or "Funky, Funky", poppin' remakes like the reggae take on Kool & the Gang's "Funky Stuff" by The Chosen Few, the Meters' "Look A Py Py" by Lloyd Charmers & the Hippy Boys or Jean Knight's "Mr Big Stuff" by Tomorrow's Children, plus numbers like Lee Perry's "Jungle Lion" that integrates a fat Memphis horn line courtesy Al Green, this set grooves like nobody's business. If you feel like comps of rare funky 45's are beginning to get tapped out, check out this sweet set of funky nuggets that also includes Zap Pow "Soul Revival", The Jay Boys "Splendour Splassh", Ken Boothe's "Is It Because I'm Black?", Phyllis Dillon "Woman Of The Ghetto", A Darker Shade Of Black "Ball Of Confusion", Bob Marley & The Wailers "Soul Almighty", Lloyd Charmers "Shaft" and Lloyd Williams' "Funky Beat".

A batch of late 60s & early 70s Nashville nuggets that turn honky tonk and Nashville Sound cliches on their ear – 27 tales from cult heroes, unjustly overlooked singer/songwriters and some of the stranger material from past, current, or soon to be superstars! It's fascinating, compelling, flat out fun stuff regardless of the bleakness of some of the subject matter. Marty Robbins turns death row into a string laden, sweetly soaring paradise, Waylon Jennings sounds more like The Animals than a hardcore outlaw country pioneer, Dolly Parton sings about heartbreak interpreted as insanity, Lorene Man sings a Chet Atkins produced/Jordanaires backed weeper about abortion and those are but a few examples! Includes strange, but, hummable numbers by Porter Wagoner, Henson Cargill, Homer & Jethro, Roger Miller, Bobby Bare, Burl Ives, Lester Flatt, Stonewall Jackson and others. 27 tracks in all: "The Chair" by Marty Robbins, "Delia's Gone" by Waylon Jennings, "The Bridge" by Dolly Parton, "The Animal Of Man" by Roger Miller, "Teddy Bear Song" by Norma Jean, "Four Chrome Wheels" by Trooper Jim Foster, "Your Credit Card Won't Get You Into Heaven" by Bobby Bare, "The TImes They Are A Changin" by Burl Ives, "I Crept Into The Crypt And Cried" by Homer & Jethro and more.

Arguably the last true moment of genius in Michael Jackson's career – a record that sold a bazillion copies around the world – and for plenty good reason! Michael's still working here with Quincy Jones – in territory that steps nicely from the Off The Wall groove, into territory that's somewhat more poppy, but still quite soulful overall. And yes, the success of the album meant that cuts like "Billie Jean", "Thriller", and "Beat It" got plenty of play – thanks to both heavy radio and video rotation – but a few decades later, there's still a tremendous amount of depth here – on great cuts like "Human Nature", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin", and "PYT" – which all hold up nicely!

A great live date – and one that features the sublime saxophone talents of the amazing Pony Poindexter! Pony was one of those players who was fine in the US, but really started to open up on the European scene – and this rare live date from 1964 shows Poindexter stretching out wonderfully in the company of some players from Paris! The date's co-led with guitarist Rene Thomas, and features the great George Arvanitas on piano, plus alternating bass from Michel Gaudry and George Lucas, and drums from Jean Louis Vitale and Michel Delaporte. The sound's pretty good, although occasionally sometimes rough around the edges – but Pony's solos on alto and soprano sax come through loud and clear – on titles that include long takes of "Jive Samba", "All Blues", "Marmaduke", "Buzzy", "Big P", and "Bongo Bop".

A soaring batch of boogie from the Sunburst Band – the group's long-awaited second album, and just as incredible as the first! Dave Lee's really gone all out for this session – dipping back into his classic references to feature vocals by older club singers that include Norma Jean and Lucy Martin of Chic, Taka Boom, and even Linda Clifford – while still getting the group to groove in that instant-classic blend of clubby rhythms and jazzy riffs! The sound is incredible – like finding some lost indie disco album from the end of the 70s – steeped in soulful production, and coming across as a stone winner on every single track! Imagine the excitement you felt when you first heard Incognito – and at that, you've only got a small bit of the sound! Titles include "Twinkle", "We Will Turn You On", "Until The End Of Time", "Fly Away (parts 1 & 2)", "Far Beyond", and "Just Do It".

One of those records that should be an insane dark mess, given the look of the cover – but which turns out to be a surprisingly well put-together effort all the way through! Zappa does a great job of hiding behind his hair here – never acting with the pomp that a pop genius like him could easily have enacted – and instead passing off the record as if it's just another freakout – despite the fact that the arrangements are some of his tightest, most focused, and downright groovy so far! There's plenty of key musical help to make the whole thing come out right – including bass from Shuggie Otis, guitar from Captain Beefheart, violin from Jean-Luc Ponty, drums from Paul Humphrey, and bass from Max Bennett – all players who really live up to the musical complexity of Zappa's compositions – often with a pre-fusion vibe that's almost unexpected. Titles include "Willie The Pimp", "Son Of Mr Green Grass", "The Gumbo Variations", "It Must Be A Camel", "Peaches In Regalia", and "Little Umbrellas".

Amazing work from the Montreal club scene of the late 70s – rare edits done by the PAJ trio of Pierre Gagnon, Allen Vallieres, and Jean Barbeau! The group were seminal moves during the glory years of the Canadian disco scene – sifting and cutting together tracks with simple, old-fashioned tape techniques – yet in ways that really exploded the grooves, and turned them into something else entirely! These days, editing a cut's a simple matter, thanks to computer technology – but it's amazing to hear these older PAJ tracks – the way they leap around, crashing together cuts with a really joyous love of music that must have been something to hear on the dancefloor. You'll recognize plenty of familiar snippets here, but the overall project is way more than anything you've ever heard before, either! Titles on this first volume include "Hey Roots", "Flip", "Montage La Roue", "Chatanooga Montage", "The Ghetto", and "Love Bug".

Fantastic stuff – and a record that may well be the greatest ever from the mighty Serge Gainsbourg – high praise indeed, considering the greatness of Gainsbourg's other music! The album is one long suite built around a spare, electric bass-driven theme – a slow funk riff that's been sampled countless times over the years, and which has gotten the album continuous play on both sides of the Atlantic for many many years. The mighty Jean-Claude Vannier handles the arrangements, and Serge mutters the lyrics over the top, in a raspy loud whisper – while the funky rhythms dart in and out of odd washes of sound, and unusual eerie sounds. There's a very strong soundtrack feel to the album, as waves of music envelop the lyrics – tripped out in funky beats that have become legendary over the years, thanks to some very famous samples! Titles include "En Melody", "Cargo Culte", "Ballade De Melody Nelson", "Valse De Melody", "Ah! Melody", and "L'Hotel Particulier".

A dozen tracks – and a pretty expansive retrospective of the career of 70s funk stalwarts Chocolate Milk! The package starts with their early heavy funk days recording with Allen Toussaint, and it moves up to their smoother sounds of the early 80s – when the band was hitting more of a modern groove. Titles include "Girl Callin", "Action Speaks Louder than Words", "Running Away", "How About Love", "Who's Getting It Now", "Let's Go All The Way", "Take It Off", "Say Won'tcha", and "Blue Jeans".

Van Hunt started out strong as a solo artist in the mid 00s – with a couple of records with great songs with some leftfield elements on the outer edges, suggesting a creative spirit somewhat reigned in by commercial necessity – a few albums later, he's in the indie realm doing just whatever the heck he wants to, and it's invigorating, unpredictable stuff! Following his muse works really well! There's a bit of a stripped down, almost low fi vibe, though it's steeped in real soul. The mood runs from hazy beats and stratchy-sounding vox, to sweet keys and soaring soul vocals, to Afro punk guitars and beyond. Van Hunt does a lot work by himself – songwriting, producing and arranging, plus most of the singing, guitar, synth bass and drum programming – with additional accompaniment on live drums, keys, upright bass, percussion and more when the mood calls for more. includes "North Hollywood", "Watching You Go Crazy Is Driving Me Insane", "Designer Jeans", "Plum", "Fall (Violet)", "Moving Targets", "Eyes Like Pearls", "A Time Machine Is My New Girlfriend", What Were You Hoping For?", "It's A Mysterious Hustle" and more. One song begins with the line, "Fractured, but not broken", which is a brilliant way to describe Van Hunt's music at this point. There's no one else doing it like him right now!

Sharp wordplay from Phonte – back in a straight up hip hop mode for the most part on Charity Starts At Home – great stuff that's something of a return to the soulful hip hop of Little Brother – not a retread, but solid solo continuation! Phonte's not messing around on the mic, delivering here as a razor sharp, yet ntrospective rhyme spitter. Charity features impressive appearances by Sy Smith, Elzhi, Jeanne Jolly, Median, Eric Roberson and others – plus production by Khrysis, 9th Wonder, S1, Swiff D and others. Includes "Dance In The Reign", "The Good Fight", "Everything Is Falling Down", "Eternally", "Sendin My Love", "Ball And Chain", "To Be Yours", "Gonna Be A Beautiful Night", "We Go Off", "The Life Of Kings" and "Who Loves You More".

Double length CD that brings together all the tracks from the Polish Jazz and Novi Singers LP releases on JCR! The set's an exquisite compilation of rare jazz tracks from the vastly under-documented (at least in the west!) Polish jazz scene! Poland was hipper than a lot of its eastern european counterparts, and despite years of Soviet oppression, the country did have a thriving jazz scene that turned out some incredibly groovy music. Lots of that music was only ever issued in Poland, and not exported to the rest of the free world – so this collection does an even better service of breaking down the iron curtain, and finally unleashing some real jazz gems! The tracks range from funky to groovy to straight ahead, but they all have the kind of fresh twist that makes the compilation essential listening – with a flavor that's vaguely similar to some of the MPS titles we've carried, but only vaguely so. The quality of the work is impeccable, as is the packaging by the folks at Jazzanova/Compost! Titles include a lot of numbers by the Novi Singers ("Torpedo", "Next, Please", "Jeansy", "The Runaway", and others), plus cuts like "Why Not Samba" by Wojciech Karolak, "Mala Septyma" by Jazz Carriers, "Fair Lola" by Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet, and "Choreographic Sketches" by Jerzy Milian.

A double disc CD & DVD package showcasing one of our favorite souful acts on the contemporary landscape – Nicolay & Phonte's brilliant and ever-evolving Foreign Exchange project! Dear Friends showcases an acoustic concert performed for a private audience –- the great touring lineup that includes Zo!, Sy Smith, and singer/songwriter Jeanne Jolly. From the get go, we've been impressed by both the original songwriting from Foreign Exchange as well as the way they filter diverse influences into their own unique vibe – and this acoustic setting really gets to the heart and soul of it. This is an essential document for fans of the group, but it's also a fine intro if you're just now coming aboard! The live set includes "Fight For Love", "All Roads", "Take Off The Blues", "Lose Your Way", "Greatest Weapon Of All Time", a nice cover of James Taylor's "Something In The Way She Moves", "Laughing At Your Plans", "Daykeeper", "House Of Cards", Zo!'s "Greatest Weapon Of All Time" and "I Wanna Know". Also includes 2 new studio tracks: "Steal Away" feat vocals by Jeanny Jolly and piano by Zo! and "All The Kisses" feat Amber & Paris Strother of KING.

Foreign Exchange and friends get some remix love! As impressive and eclectic as Nicolay and Phonte are as the flagship FE duo – and given the depth of their excellent +FE Music catalog – you probably expected them to attract the crème of the crop of cosmic soul remixers, and that they do! Reworks features top shelf tracks by FE – plus tracks led by Deborah Bond, Zo!, Sy Smith, Jeanne Jolly, Vikter Duplaix, solo Phonte and others – and remixes/works by 4Hero, Nicolay, Tall Black Guy, James Poyser's and ?uestlove's Randy Watson Experience and others. Tracks include "So What If It Is", "The Last Fall (Focus. . .+FE Experience Remix)", "Fight For Love (Nicky Mendes And Brasil '66 Remix)", "If She Breaks Your Heart (Randy Watson Experience Remix)" feat Yahzarah and more by Foreign Exchange, plus "Games You Can't Win (Nicolay Remix)" by RJD2 feat Kenna, "Flight Of The Blackbyrd (4Hero Remix)" by Zo feat Phonte, "Electric Love (Nicolay Remix)" by Vikter Duplaix, "The Art Of You (Nicolay Remix)" by Sy Smith, "Love Songs" by Phonte feat Focus & Sy Smith, "This Could Be The Night (Tall Black Guy Remix)" by Zo feat Eric Roberson, Darien Brockington & Phonte, "Acslater (Nicolay Remix)" by The Hot At Nights and more. 21 tracks on 2CDs.